1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to automated dispensing/vending machines. More particularly the present invention relates to a vending machine for dispensing a frozen confectionary (such as ice cream) wherein the customer customizes his purchase by selecting from a variety of available solid and/or liquid toppings or additives, and where the purchase occasion may be enhanced by visual and/or auditory stimuli during the vending process.
2. Background of the Invention
Automated machines for dispensing ice cream and other frozen confectioneries are known in the art. For example, Chirnomas (U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,698) discloses an ice cream vending machine wherein the machine dispenses pre-filled containers of ice cream. Davis et. al. (United States Patent Application 2004/0251270) describes an ice cream dispensing machine for dispensing soft-serve ice cream. Kateman et. al. (U.S. Pat. No. 7,052,728) describes a machine for vending single servings of different flavors, wherein selected flavorants are mixed into a base liquid prior to freezing. These and other automated vending devices do not provide the customer an enhanced purchase occasion in that the process of preparing and conveying the selected product is generally invisible to the customer. Alcaraz et. al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,210) describes a robotic vending machine. However, in the Alcaraz patent the dispensing process is limited to transferring pre-packaged items to the customer or to placing single items (such as a beverage) into a container.